Door locks often include door knobs or levers that are typically directly or indirectly coupled to a latch of a door lock. Such door knobs or levers typically provide an interface for a user to retract the latch from an extended position to a retracted position. Further, door locks often use springs to bias door handles, such as knobs or levers, to a neutral, un-actuated position that typically corresponds to the associated latch being in the extended position. Accordingly, at least when a door or other entryway device to which the door lock is mounted is in a closed position relative to an associated entryway, the door handle can be biased by the spring to the neutral, and relatively static, unactuated position. Further, with the door handle in the neutral position, the latch, and moreover a latch bolt, may be in an extended position such that the latch extends into a door strike or other opening in an adjacent door frame or wall. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the door may be displaced from the closed position to the open position through manipulation of the door handle. For example, a user may rotate or pivot the handle to an activated position, which causes the latch bolt to be displaced from the extended position to the retracted position. When the latch is in the retracted position, the latch may be at least partially withdrawn from the door strike or adjacent door frame or wall. When the user releases the door handle, such door knobs or levers are often biased back to the neutral, un-actuated position, and the latch returns to the extended position.
The ability to repeatably attain/maintain the door handle at the neutral, un-actuated, and generally static, position is often dependent, at least in part, on the manufactured dimensional accuracy of various component interfaces associated with the operation of the door lock. Accordingly, discrepancies in the dimensional accuracy of various components of the door lock can adversely impact the nature of such component interfaces, as well as the timing of the engagement between those components and/or interfaces. Further, such components are typically manufactured to not only attain/maintain the door handle at the neutral, un-actuated and static position, but to do so in a manner that is aesthetically pleasing, such as, for example, retaining door knobs or levers having relatively linear appearances in a generally horizontal orientation. According to such designs, the inability to attain and/or maintain such horizontality of the door handle, also referred to as lever droop, can be considered by at least some to be aesthetically objectionable, and, in at least some situations, may adversely impact revenues. Efforts to ensure that the component interfaces can retain the door handle at a particular orientation when the door handle is at the neutral, un-actuated position can include tighter manufacturing tolerances for various components of the door lock. Yet, such efforts to tighten manufacturing tolerances can lead to higher part costs, and, in at least in certain situations, may be infeasible to maintain in the long term.
Additionally, the ability to maintain the door knob or lock at the neutral, unactuated and static position over the course of the life of the door lock, particularly as the number of operation cycles accumulate, may be adversely affected by certain interactions and at least occasional striking or impact forces between components of the door lock. Moreover, when a door handle is released from an actuated position at least certain components of the door lock can be accelerated back toward, and into contact with, other components of the door lock as the handle and door lock components return to their respective neutral, un-actuated positions. Such return displacement of certain components can be arrested by a sudden impact with other components of the lock device, such as, for example, a relatively rigid housing, which can also increase the noise associated with the operation of the door lock. Further, such impact can lead to detrimental wear of components of the door lock, and can cause dimensional changes that alter interface clearances between the involved components. These dimensional changes may lead to an increase in the perceptible change in the orientation of the neutral position of the door handle.